Streetcar Strikes Schoolgirl on Sixth Avenue
A pedestrian is injured after being hit by a speeding trolley, sparking local frustration over transit safety.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The second streetcar accident in two days occurred last evening. While one of the open cars on the Sixth Avenue line was returning downtown, it struck Miss Sophie Buschman, a schoolgirl. She was crossing Sixth Avenue at a street and, although she saw the car coming, thought she had time to reach the other side. It is reported that the car was coming down the hill at full speed and the motorman was unable to stop until he had run some distance past the crossing. The corner of the car struck Miss Buschman a glancing blow, which knocked her to one side of the track and away from the wheels. She was taken to her home, where her injuries were found to consist of severe bruises and a bad shock to her nervous system. Complaint is made that when this car is returning downtown it does not stop for passengers, and many times comes down the entire length of Sixth Avenue at full speed, making it exceedingly dangerous at crossings.
“Complaint is made that... many times comes down the entire length of Sixth Avenue at full speed, making it exceedingly dangerous at crossings.”
Concerns over speed and transit safety on Sixth Avenue have persisted for over a century. The tension between pedestrian safety and the rapid movement of public transit remains a central, unresolved friction in Tacoma’s urban development.
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